Mamelodi Sundowns head coach Miguel Cardoso came out to quash speculation around Sphelele Mkhulise and Peter Shalulile.
After the 4-0 thumping of Golden Arrows in which Mkhulise started and was substituted after 36 minutes, ironically for Shalulile, before the flood gates opened. Cardoso came out to end speculation on the duo.
Mkhulise has been reported to be leaving the club for a venture in North Africa, while Shalulile was said to have been offered to several clubs as Sundowns are looking towards a new direction where the Namibia captain is no longer part of the long-term plans.
Whether it’s true or not cannot be called a fact or fictitious in the game of football where things are constantly changing, day by day – but Cardoso said it was important to set the record straight and give his perspective on the situation that ruffled feathers in the camp.
“I can make it clear, I can take it even in my [own hands to tell you this] during the week I spoke with the team, so we clear the air and close that, there are no issues with Pitso or regarding a transfer on him,” Cardoso said on his own accord when asked about Mkhulise’s substitution against Arrows.
“Pitso is a player of the club, we like him so much, we trust him, he has been playing in the team, so we finished that, so there’s no more [speculation]. And also there was also things said about me and Peter [Shaulile] that there’s talks.
“There’s nothing, nothing! What was done in the market inside the club was clearly done in the best interest of the club and the players, because many movements were not only our intention but also from the appeals we received from the players.
“That’s how the market should work and how a club should work, regarding the happiness of a football player – a football player is also a man and when he’s not happy because he’s not playing we should also respect that.”
Cardoso admitted that Rushine de Reuck and Lebo Maboe who left on six month loans to Maccabi Petah Tikvah and SuperSport United respectively, came and asked if they could leave of regular first time football until the end of the 2024/25 season.
“Rushine clearly asked, let me go to play, I need to play, I want to play – that’s why we made the movement on him… I can also speak about Lebo, a wonderful person who worked well in our group, an important one,” he added.
“He also asked [to leave], he said coach I want to go play, so I can perform for you to see me and I want to come back to the club, so we gave him this opportunity, so to make it clear, the market is a product of what we analyse regarding the satisfaction of the group, the club and individually they want to take steps in their career in different ways.”